Oscar Valdez (25-0, 20 KOs) made both a successful return to the ring and statement tonight as he easily mowed through Carmine Tommasone (19-1, 5 KOs) by seventh-round stoppage.

For Valdez, it was his first appearance in the ring since recovering from a broken jaw that he suffered at the hands of Scott Quigg in his last bout.

Before the injury, Valdez was viewed as a star in the making. He had an aggressive style and a never quit attitude that made him appealing to fans.

The question going into this fight was, how would he look in his return bout?

The answer? Sensational.

Although Tommasone was undefeated, he had never faced anyone with the skill that Valdez has. To say this was a major step up in competition would be putting it mildly.

Tommasone started off cautiously, boxing from the outside and looking to stay away from long brawls with the champion.

Tommasone didn’t find much success in his tactics, but he also was making Valdez work. That all changed quickly as Valdez landed a right hand that floored the challenger. He made it back to his feet but was knocked down again with just a few seconds left in the round after Valdez landed a body shot.

It was hard to envision Tommasone making it out of the fifth round but he did. He also boxed relatively well to the surprise of a few. Maybe Tommasone was able to compose himself and give the champion a test. That thought went right out the window as Valdez once again knocked him down in the sixth round.

To Tommasone’s credit he continued to find a way to make it out of the round and out of harms way. Although Tommasone continued to fight it became increasingly clear that Valdez intended on bullying him all night as he did not have any respect for Tommasone’s power.

Round 7 is where the champion closed the show as he landed a right upper cut that placed Tommasone on the canvas for the fourth and final time. The referee waved off the contest and declared Valdez the winner.

After the fight, Tommasone used the stage as an opportunity to propose to his girlfriend. He may have lost the fight, but he can find solace in knowing that he has himself a future wife.

As for Valdez, he made it clear that he wanted to move on and fight more dangerous opponents and unify titles.

“I want anybody,” said Valdez during his in-ring post-fight interview. “If it’s possible let’s unify belts. Everybody wanted to see the [Carl] Frampton fight but now that he lost against [Josh] Warrington, the belt is over there. Well I want to fight him.”

The options are endless for Valdez. He seems as though he has fully healed from his broken jaw. Let’s all hope he fights another belt holder in the division in his next fight.